Elvis: That's the Way It Is (1970) Reviews

Elvis: That's the Way It Is offers a candid look at Elvis Presley at a point when he decided to permanently abandon movie roles and return triumphantly to concert gigs. It shows him strutting around Vegas with his entourage, Elvis painstakingly preparing for his stage show, Elvis relaxing backstage and trading jokes with his vocal accompanists, and, of course, Elvis before a live, loud audience. Photographed by Lucien Ballard the film was directed by Denis Sanders of Shock Treatment fame. This film was hugely reedited and reissued in 2001, with around 40% new material that replaced preexistent fan footage with musical performances and revelations; it also works in a a version of 'Love Me Tender' that finds The King strutting through the audience. That cut of the film - which received heightened critical kudos - rates 4 stars, and qualifies as more of a performance film than a documentary. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi